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I am a superhero fan. I haven't collected comics for a long, long time. I have a son who's nearly 5 and he's just really getting into Spiderman, Batman, Iron, etc. So I want to get him into comics. I stopped by the local comic book store after seeing the Avengers and huzzah! it happened to be free comic book day.
I have heard of the new 52 by DC for a while now. I have done some research and to be honest, I am a little overwhelmed.
All I want is a Batman series and there's like 50 of them. The same thing with Superman. Which of these new Batman reboots is closest to the regular Batman. I want Batman where he's fighting the Joker, Poison Ivy, the Penguin, etc not aliens. My son and I really like batman the Animated series for the 90s. Is there anything even close to that?
Are the new 52 even worth getting?
I've read, /me coughs, the first 3 issues of every new 52 comic. I'm in the process of buying all the graphic novels (which just started releasing this month, actually). That's just the sort of obsessive I am. The first collected version of the New 52 Batman is out now. I'd recommend it. The first arc does NOT cover the "classic" villains, however. Just like it was prior to the New 52, Detective Comics is also all-Batman, and you can find some classic villains in there - Joker, Penguin, etc. I'd also recommend it.
http://www.dccomics.com/graphic-novels/batman-vol-1-the-court-of-owls
http://www.dccomics.com/graphic-novels/batman-detective-comics-vol-1-faces- of-death
Volume 1 of Batman would be appropriate for a 5 year old, but is likely going to be over his head - it deals a lot with the history of Gotham and mind games and ancient conspiracies, etc. Volume 1 of Detective Comics might be a little "too much" - there's some gore in it.
As for the other "man, this is good!" comic with Batman, I'd go with Justice League, which also just came out with its Volume 1 graphic novel this week. It's a great intro to all the characters (and takes place roughly 5 years before all the other New 52 comics). The interaction between Batman, GL, and Superman are *awesome* in this series, as they all meet themselves for the first time. In the later issues (issue 7+), you start getting deeper into the mythology of why the New 52 exists with the SHAZAM back stories. Note that the first arc *is* about aliens, but it's a classic alien (Darkseid), so it's "ok". It is perfectly fine for a 5 year old - there's a decent amount of humor in it, and the Origin approach is a good intro.
http://www.dccomics.com/graphic-novels/justice-league-vol-1-origin
Note that the Gotham City Sirens are a little ... messed up in the New 52. Harley Quinn appears in Suicide Squad (and I hate the new take on her). Poison Ivy shows up in Birds of Prey (and I'm meh about the new take on her). Catwoman is in her own series and she has sex with Batman (in a full one-) and generally boobs-everything up all the time. Lots of folks don't like it because of that and it is *definitely* not appropriate for a 5 year old (I have one myself.)
http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/09/22/starfire-catwoman-sex-superheroine /
Honestly, I'm going to suggest you pick up "Young Justice," and maybe the "Tiny Titans" books - because they're full of good storytelling, number one, but also because YJ follows what you and your son might see on the Young Justice cartoon (it in fact ties into YJ-TV continuity). Tiny Titans I suggest because it's just plain fun and silly - two things that five year olds need more of, imho. ;)
Beyond that, Morbus gives some good input. Can't really add to that in regards to those titles.
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Thanks guys. I will definitely look into these now. Hopefully Amazon will have these for my Kindle Fire so I don't need to drive an hour to a comic store and hope they have it.
I get the feeling that the graphic novels are compilations of the first few issues or are they stand alone books?
As far as cartoons my sone is more of a Ultimate Spider Man fan (probably because of the silliness of Peter Parker/Spidey and he seems to like Green Lanternmore than Young Justice. But since dad likes it and I am the one who has to read it with him, I'll get Young Justice.
Thanks again. I went to the comic store and saw all the new stuff and was severly overwhelmed. (They also didn't have any issue 1s so that stopped me too) Every time they do stuff like this I get really nervous because relaunches never seem to be as good as the original.
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Okay, one might argue that my comment isn't pertinent to the question, but what the heck.
I went to the comic store and saw all the new stuff and was severly overwhelmed. (They also didn't have any issue 1s so that stopped me too) Every time they do stuff like this I get really nervous because relaunches never seem to be as good as the original.
I, myself, haven't kept current with any comic series in years. However, if you decide that you don't like some relaunch of your old favorite title, it may behoove you to remember this:
We are living in the age of reprints.
There are tons of trade paperbacks and hardbacks that compile old comics. These books can be found not only in comic book specialty shops, but even IN ORDINARY BOOKSTORES AND PUBLIC LIBRARIES! And of course, if you can't find the title you're looking for in a bookstore, then there's that haven for those of us looking for just the right item: amazon.com.
Do you dislike the current Superman titles, because this isn't the Superman you remember? Do you feel that the new Batman books are unsuitable for your 4-year-old, for whatever reason? Do you want to start a title from issue #1? No problem. Just look up some of your favorite titles, and you'll find a wealth of material from any given era.
And if you're looking for certain back-issues, and they're not reprinted, then Mile High Comics has a good selection of collectable comics.
Thanks to these resources, I've been able to read to my children the comics I remember. Now my children can grow up knowing that Superboy was Superman when he was a boy, that the JSA lives on Earth-2, that the X-Men were originally five children, and that comics don't need sexual content.
Just my $.02.
Let me give an example.
My son and I really like batman the Animated series for the 90s. Is there anything even close to that?
Okay, so let's say that you want comics about the Batman as he appeared in the animated series. I just looked up "The Batman Adventures" in the wikipedia, scrolled to the bottom of that entry, and found a list of 8 books reprinting the comic series' that told the story as presented in "Batman: The Animated Series". I then found a bunch of those titles in amazon.com. Amazon isn't selling them directly, as those books aren't in print anymore, but there are plenty of people selling used copies of those books through that site. And of course, you can get individual issues from Mile High.
I get the feeling that the graphic novels are compilations of the first few issues or are they stand alone books?
They're compilations of full story arcs, so they're "standalone" as well (i.e., generally speaking, if you ignore the giant "Vol. 3" on a graphic novel's cover, the story presented within tends to be suitably standalone). There *are* original graphic novels out there, mind, but all the ones I mentioned, and all the "New 52" ones are, so far, compilations only.
As far as cartoons my sone is more of a Ultimate Spider Man fan (probably because of the silliness of Peter Parker/Spidey and he seems to like Green Lanternmore than Young Justice. But since dad likes it and I am the one who has to read it with him, I'll get Young Justice.
Thanks again. I went to the comic store and saw all the new stuff and was severly overwhelmed. (They also didn't have any issue 1s so that stopped me too) Every time they do stuff like this I get really nervous because relaunches never seem to be as good as the original.
I'm just going to say this for the record:
Ultimate Spider Man - from the Peter Parker series all the way into the Miles Morales series - is probably one of the best comics on the shelf for young readers to have used as an introduction to life, death, and all that goes with those things. Just my opinion, mind you, but the "Death of Spider Man" arc deals with things that kids (especially younger ones) are going to ask questions about, and it does so in a way that is powerful, respectful, and honest.
There's a reason USM is on my "must have" subscribers list at my friendly local comic store. Just sayin'.
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Let me adress Aaron first.
I kind of like the age of reprints. I have always wanted to read the originals that came out in the beginning. So that's cool. I actually have a book of the first 10 or so Spider-Man comics that I got from my local flea market. (Another option I had forgotten about to get old comics)
I have searched amazon, mostly for my Kindle Fire (KF). There's quite a bit out there for that. The Court of the Owls and Faces of Death will be out for the KF in June.
I will look for those titles based on the animated series when I get done here.
Morbus, thanks again for all your help. I actually got some graphic novels at my local used book store. (Local, mind you is 45 minutes away for the flea market and 1 hour for the used book store.) I really enjoyed the Long Halloween but absolutely HATED the dark Knight Returns and Dark Knight Strikes Again. Terrible, terrible books.
I will be picking up The Court of the Owls, Faces of Death, and some Young Justice comics for sure.
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I just had another question come to mind.
They have come out or are coming out with the graphic novel for the Court of the Owls story arc whic is basically what, the first 10 or 11 of the new 52? Does that mean that whenever they will complete a story arc they will put out a graphic novel?
If the above is true, it would be much easier to wait for the graphic novel, but will it be cheaper?
Again, assuming I am correct, which I very well may not be, do they do that will all or most of the comics? Does Marvel?
Ultimate Spider Man - from the Peter Parker series all the way into the Miles Morales series - is probably one of the best comics on the shelf for young readers to have used as an introduction to life, death, and all that goes with those things.
I'll agree with this. It's also got a great sense of humor and is "wordy".
I really enjoyed the Long Halloween but absolutely HATED the dark Knight Returns and Dark Knight Strikes Again. Terrible, terrible books.
Oddly, I was the opposite - I thought The Long Halloween was meh (3/5) and that The Dark Knight Returns was 5/5. I've not read The Dark Strikes Again. Hush is also a pretty good series, available in a graphic novel reprint (4/5). That villain is a little overused nowadays though, probably due to the strength of the original series.
I've been recording every book I've read since the mid-90s but, oddly, I didn't consider graphic novels "books" until recently - 2008 or so. If you're looking for random infoporn/e-peen stuff, you can see my list over at Goodreads, along with ratings. What I find most intriguing about this list, in hindsight, is the nearly utter lack of Marvel books. I've just recently started rectifying that, and a new stack awaits.
I just had another question come to mind.
You are straying into dangerous territories with this line of interrogation ;)
They have come out or are coming out with the graphic novel for the Court of the Owls story arc whic is basically what, the first 10 or 11 of the new 52? Does that mean that whenever they will complete a story arc they will put out a graphic novel?
You can usually find out which issues are collected by reading the book's description - Batman Vol. 1 is issues 1 through 7, and Detective Comics Vol. 1 is also 1 through 7. You'll find it tends to vary from anywhere from 6 issues to 12 issues (any more than that and they tend to be split into multiple volumes or OMNIBUS-type editions). As for whether something will get into a trade format, "it depends". There's been, for years, a general belief and "rule" that story arcs had to be of a size that could be easily collected, and many have felt this has been to the detriment of story telling - requiring stories to be short or sped-up or unpleasingly resolved. When the New 52 started, DC had said something along the line that they were NOT going to restrict story length "just for the sake of the trades" [citation needed, heh] but, now, here we are, and every New 52 series is getting its Volume 1 over the next few months. Ideally, it looks like nothing has changed.
The fact that all the books are labeled as "Volume 1" tends to lend credence to the fact that, yes, when a story arc is finished, they're going to release a trade paperback of it. Note that not all the New 52 will get a Volume 2, as 6 ongoing series have been canceled and since replaced with another 6 ongoing series, which will likely get their own Volume 1. There has also been a few limited series that have started since The New 52, like The Shade and Penguin: Pain and Prejudice which, so far, have not had any news about a collected reprint.
Sometimes, though, and this was rampant PRIOR to the New 52 (and continues to be in Marvel-land), long-running series have never properly been collected in sequential trade paperback form, and that's why you get things like a million "Batman: SUBTITLE HERE" paperbacks that are slices of non-sequential standalone arcs from Batman. DC has generally been *really bad* about collecting "from issue 1" their long-running series - there's a zillion different formats and no real winner. "Complete run" completists tend to have a number of duplicate volumes in their library and often in not-ideal B&W-only version (i.e., DC's SHOWCASE and Marvel's ESSENTIAL).
If the above is true, it would be much easier to wait for the graphic novel, but will it be cheaper?
Ask 20 different comic readers, and you'll likely get a 50/50 split on whether single issues vs. trades are the one-true-way to read comics. But, I think the direct answer to your question, given Amazon deep discounts, is yes, trade paperbacks will be cheaper. Incidentally, if a trade paperback is offered in a *hardcover* version (TPB is, in comic-land, a generic term that can reference both softcover and hardcover versions), I would go with the hardcover version. 1) Given a deep-discount on Amazon, it's often still cheaper than the full-priced softcover version, 2) It'll last longer, 3) They go out of print faster than the softcovers, so tend to have a higher resale value.
Again, assuming I am correct, which I very well may not be, do they do that will all or most of the comics? Does Marvel?
Prior to the New 52, whether something made it to a trade paperback was chaos - very little of DCs trade paperback lineup was in the "Volume 1", "Volume 2" mentality, so if you were looking for "complete runs", you had to know where SERIES A: SUBTITLE DOGS lived in relation to SERIES A: SUBTITLE CATS. Given the New 52 reboot, and the fact that they've labeled all their forthcoming books as Volume 1, I'm really really hoping they'll keep it up and go for complete runs of things. Would make my life a toOOn easier.
If you love the chaos though, you can certainly find it in Marvel land. You can find their entire Ultimate Universe (anything with "Ultimate" or "Ultimate Comics: " in the name) in a Volume 1, 2, 3 mentality, but their main lineup continues to be all over the place, with a few exceptions here and there. They also do a ToOOoOn of events, which makes Volume 1, 2, 3 reading slightly more difficult (FEAR ITSELF was a recent event that has like 25 different collected versions just for itself, all spread amongst their main titles).
What Marvel gets right, however, is their archival quality reprint mentality - Marvel Masterpieces have been around for decades now, and strive to do awesome reproductions from issue 1 of many of their series. They come out in hardcovers first (and many of their earlier hardcovers are out of print and very expensive), but they've started to release a number of them in softcover reprints.
Dear Gozreh, this was long.
In the New 52, are there any Pre-New 52 recommended reading to understand the story of one series of New 52?
Theoretically, no. The New 52 is a new/revised timeline and thus everything is "new" and slightly changed. There *are* Easter Eggs in various story lines for those who have been reading long enough, but most everything is intended to be a good starting point for new readers. The JUSTICE LEAGUE series (which has just been collected in a trade paperback) takes place 5 years before all the other comics, and is a good soft intro to the major players in the DC Universe. With that said, though, all the "classics" of the pre-New-52 world are still "readable" and most of the major events that happen Pre-New-52 are still "accurate" in the New 52. Some examples:
You might also consider reading the FLASHPOINT trade paperback to see how the New 52 was formed and came to be, but it's certainly not required. I only mention it because it HAS BEEN and WILL CONTINUE TO BE referenced in the New 52 comic series:
In this case, are they any current series that you need prior understanding of the current stories? (ex : Batman Incorporated)
You might gain a greater understanding of a character by reading a previous undertaking (i.e., the Examples spoilered above or the first BATMAN INCORPORATED trade paperback), or by having more knowledge and backstory in general (the GREEN LANTERN series would be a great example of this) but, again, they're all meant "supposed to be" accessible to new readers. With that said, I would *not* disbelieve you if you were confused by a few series (LEGION OF SUPER HEROES would be a good one, along with GREEN LANTERN). In specific cases like those, a Wikipedia read would be a decent enough summary, or simply ask your favorite neighborhood message boards ;)
I'd add that for FLASHPOINT, another spoiler would be
They've only spoken about it a few times in the Legion books, and it's not come up in a few issues, but it's there, and may be used in the future... I'd wager as an escape clause, of sorts.
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The reason I wasn't reading comics was the amount of years of stories that needed to understand the present comics.
I read some comics of The New 52, but I'm not reading the "Young Justice" section.
The reason I wasn't reading comics was the amount of years of stories that needed to understand the present comics.
Eh, I call foul on that. Sometimes, the ONLY way you can get into something is by jumping right into the middle of it. That's how day-time soap operas work. That's how the long-term and expanded universes of Star Wars and Star Trek works. That's how Discworld and Xanth works. It's how comics work. It's also how Pathfinder and Forgotten Realms works (you mustn't expect every new player to read every sourcebook or novel that's been released, no?). Sometimes, there is just no good jumping on point for something.
When it comes down to it, it doesn't really matter *who* Batman is. It doesn't really matter how Superboy became Superboy, or why there are two different Green Lanterns for our sector, one with a fake ring and one with a real one. They're all the same archetypal character they've ultimately been for their Age. Yes, having read them for years will increase your enjoyment (or hatred of) the New 52 or any Marvel storyline. But, no one expects you to have read all the John Carter novels or Conan books when you see those movies, nor do they expect you to have watched all 1200 episodes of the original Dark Shadows to enjoy Burton's... ... thing.
From a marketing standpoint, picking up a #1 feels a lot safer than picking up a #623, but ultimately, if you just dive in with the start of any particular story arc, and that story arc makes you feel good, you can answer most of your "huh?" questions with a quick Google search, if you're so inclined.
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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Well, I'm not reading any of the DCU right now, mostly because of the break.
Rant.
Like I've said elsewhere. Dick, Donna, Wally, Barbara, Kory, Raven, Gar, Vic, etc were my peers growing up. They were the characters I related to in my teen years, as they matured, they resonated with me. (Dick became Nightwing, Wally became the Flash, Barbara recovered from her traumatic event to become Oracle, etc. Donna, unfortunately never realized potential beyond Wonder Woman.)
The 'next generation' (Tim, Bart, Conner, Cassandra, Cassie, Stephanie, Rose et al.) came in the time in my life where my friends were having their kids. I looked forward to seeing them discover the younger generation like I discovered the Teen Titans in the 80's. Especially the kids like Tim and Cassie (Who were doing what was right and Stephanie and Rose (who were again showing the struggle of being more than their parentage) were stories of struggling and triumph. I wanted them to read Red Robin with me, then I could pull out the dusty past and let them see *how* he became Robin. I wanted them to enjoy and learn from them like I had.
Now were the stories of my youth and young adulthood perfect? No. Gar never has been allowed to grow up, Raven has progressed and regressed, the problems I mentioned w/Donna above. And don't get me started on Roy. You had a unique character, a single dad as a super hero. DC destroyed him long before Flashpoint. And of course for the next generation, the Titans really suffered. First at the hands of a horrid writer, then at the hands of editorial meddling.
Post Flashpoint? DC is as alien to me as the Top Cow universe. Rose has lost all her redeeming qualities. Connor and Cassie aren't the same people anymore. Donna and Wally (and Stephanie and Cassandra) don't exist, just like my 80's titans. Beast Boy is new and edgy (again) and everything I loved is gone. Victor is part of the League. Yeah Vic, but he's not the same 'angry guy become mentor' I loved. And Kory is a goldfish.
/end rant
And that's just the books of my youth. I read Red Robin and Batgirl, again because of Tim and Stephanie. (And I was really warming up to Tam Fox.) I read Justice League because of Dick and Donna, and loved the Secret Six (which I finally have the complete run of in TPB). I'd not share the Six with the kids, though.*
I enjoy Young Justice, and the 5 year jump is growing on me. I don't have Stephanie or Casandra, or Rose (yet) but now Dick is becoming an adult and a leader. Roy (Red Arrow) is struggling, but has Liam (and a not quite as psychotic as her comic book counterpart Jade). Wally and Artemis are shown living away from the capes. Sure they're all 18-20 somethings, but they've grown, and left room for others. Young Justice is a lot like my Titans, so it's akin to my own childhood again.
*
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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When it comes down to it, it doesn't really matter *who* Batman is. It doesn't really matter how Superboy became Superboy, or why there are two different Green Lanterns for our sector, one with a fake ring and one with a real one. They're all the same archetypal character they've ultimately been for their Age. Yes, having read them for years will increase your enjoyment (or hatred of) the New 52 or any Marvel storyline. But, no one expects you to have read all the John Carter novels or Conan books when you see those movies, nor do they expect you to have watched all 1200 episodes of the original Dark Shadows to enjoy Burton's... ... thing.
I'll disagree on the roles argument. The roles (Batman as Gotham's defender, Superboy being a 'young superman', Green Lantern, space cop) may be constant, but who is under the cowl is part of the driving nature of the character.
Batman
- Bruce is dark and forboding, he is gruff and abrupt and a loner.
- Dick's tenure under the cowl was different. He was more accepted by the police. Friendlier and talked more.
- Tim (in the alternate future) and Damien (in another alternate future) were VERY different than either Bruce or Dick. Tim was little better than the Punisher, or Thomas Blake.
Superboy
- Young Clark Kent is basically a young Superman. Even in this we've seen different takes, from the silver age, to the Smallville series.
- Kon-el's original take was a partial Superman clone. His outlook changed when his DNA was retconned to include Lex Luthor's.
- Conner Kent (Young Justice) seems to be more like an intelligent Hulk than either of his comic book incarnations.
- DCnU Superboy doesn't seem to be anything like them.
Green Lantern
- Hal Jordan's attitude seems to be more flyboy and cavalier than most.
- Guy's much more brash and direct. It's also reflected in his constructs as well.
- John Stewart, while it looks like he's being pegged as the 'killing Green Lantern' reflects a military background and a more ordered approach.
- Kyle's more artistic than the others, again reflected in his character and his ring.
In all cases, it's the person behind the mask who drives the stories, just as much the power itself.
It's also how Pathfinder and Forgotten Realms works (you mustn't expect every new player to read every sourcebook or novel that's been released, no?). Sometimes, there is just no good jumping on point for something.
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Surely there's a good starting point for a campaign setting. You want an introduction to Golarion? Get _Pathfinder_Campaign_Setting_World_Guide:_The_Inner_Sea_, or for something smaller, try the _Inner_Sea_Primer_. Don't know anything about Forgotten Realms? Hmm... here's a book called _Forgotten_Realms_Campaign_Guide_. Before that, there was the _Forgotten_Realms_Campaign_Setting_ (and the _Pathfinder_Chronicles:_Campaign_Setting_ book, and the _Pathfinder_Gazetteer_, etc.). If a game company wants potential fans to get into a setting, it will keep an introductory book or boxed set in print.
Getting back on topic, some comics are easier to "jump into" than others. It's quite natural for someone to ask "will I understand this?" before spending any money or time.
@Matthew: FWIW, I don't disagree with you, but I just don't think those distinctions are necessary when it comes to a new reader. A new reader doesn't need to know about the differences between the cowls or the rings to appreciate the current story being told, nor do they really need to know about who came before (unless, of course, they just happened to pick up the storyline during the changeover). Knowing it value-adds to the story and universe, but not knowing it doesn't necessarily detract.
@Aaron: I also don't disagree with you, but I was referring to more of the ... "stories" told within a world vs. the world itself. The books you've listed will certainly give an overview of the environment, a concise timeline, and a feeling of physical "place" but, ultimately, they don't allow us to really connect to an *event* or *character* - not in the same way that reading an Adventure Path (or even a module) or novel can. They can not adequately summarize the hundreds of Forgotten Realms novels or the dozen of PF novels or the tens of thousands of comic issues. Of potential comparitive relevance are the "sourcebooks" for novels that *do* exist, such as Star Trek's Voyages of Imagination. Later this year (I think - maybe 2013), a Star Wars specific version is being released too.
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The reason I wasn't reading comics was the amount of years of stories that needed to understand the present comics.Eh, I call foul on that. Sometimes, the ONLY way you can get into something is by jumping right into the middle of it.
You might think that is true, and for you that may be the case, but there were plenty of potential comic readers out there who felt otherwise.
My personal evidence, anecdotal as it may be, is that of the 7 kids in my family (my 2 daughters and 5 nieces and nephews) not one of them felt as though they could "get into" the comics as it was, and now all of them are rabidly consuming as many issues of the New 52 as they can get their grubby little hands on.
My personal evidence, anecdotal as it may be, is that of the 7 kids in my family (my 2 daughters and 5 nieces and nephews) not one of them felt as though they could "get into" the comics as it was, and now all of them are rabidly consuming as many issues of the New 52 as they can get their grubby little hands on.
!
I think that your personal evidence, anecdotal as it may be, is darned impressive!
I've never seen the new 52, and have no intention of looking into it any time in the near future, but I HAVE been wondering how newbies would find it, so I find your post very interesting, and I think I'll "favorite" it for that reason.
My personal evidence, anecdotal as it may be, is that of the 7 kids in my family (my 2 daughters and 5 nieces and nephews) not one of them felt as though they could "get into" the comics as it was, and now all of them are rabidly consuming as many issues of the New 52 as they can get their grubby little hands on.
Could you talk more about this? I'd love to hear more. One of the "best" series of articles I read when the New 52 was just coming out was the four part "litmus test" series from Comic Book Resources, where they randomly proffered the books to new comic book readers and got their thoughts and "would you read the next one?" I found 'em fascinating.
We know the New 52 is a "new" timeline, so there's an underlying sense of "everything is ground floor and I am soOoOoO there!", but have you tried them out on any other Number 1st, like those from Marvel? They did their own soft "start overs" (that is, it wasn't a reboot at all, which Marvel hasn't ever really done, save for new lines like New Earth or Ultimates) on a few of their series in an attempt to get in on the New 52 thunder. I'd be curious if it's just the psychology of a number 1 vs. actually starting over (i.e., a renumbered 1 in Marvel land doesn't really start anything over).
Also, have they ever started anything else long-running in the "middle" of it? Pokemon? Yu-gi-oh? Magic: The Gathering? Naruto? Star Trek or Star Wars? Nancy Drew? Battlestar Galactica? Transformers? My Little Pony? Winx Club? Any other comics from companies like Vertigo or Dynamite?
[Note: I am not trying to challenge your evidence! I'm honestly curious. I'm middle-aged and have started, and stopped, comics numerous times over the decades, so it's been a long time since I've been of the same mindset as a new readers (though, certainly, some of the New 52 titles were brand "new" to me, but old, like O.M.A.C. and Animal Man). I know my daughters don't generically have difficulty loving new-to-them-but-old properties, primarily because they're self-motivated due to a sort of "they're sooOo cuttTTee!" mentality - my 6 year old is loving Monster High and is slowly learning all their names and likes and dislikes, and is starting to understand the product story lines. Same thing with My Little Pony - she watched all the pre-Friendship is Magic shows she could, and was cheerfully confused over which pony was which, until she learned them all, etc.]
I've had a surprisingly hard time finding a similar product on the other side of the aisle...
Is Marvel Super Hero Squad still around?
Quick question, with the New 52 I understand they rebooted all the comics. What I would like to read is where DC comics offically announced this and places where DC has discussed it. If anyone knows of some links I would love to read them. Hopefully DC comics didn't just say...."were starting over and not explain anything beyond that."
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Eileen. The series that led to the new 52 was called Flashpoint. It was basically a Flash story that screwed up time. When things settled, we had the new 52. It was announced at the time but can't find the exact announcement. It's probably on several of the comicsreview sites like newsarama if you search.
So basically an event occurred which altered our known history of the DC characters and all the comics and adventures that we read since we were kids? Are we to just assume that all of the older material is non-existent? Are we waiting for DC to come up with NEW adventures which happened to the heroes prior to their appearance in the new 52? Or are there simply no adventures other than the origin stories and we take off from there?
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Prett much what thejeff said, everything didn't happen apart from the bits that did. I think he might be optimistic on the timescale to recover, though.
It also merged the DC and Wildstorm universes. So the Martian Manhunter was on Stormwatch with Apollo and the Midnighter, Voodoo and Grifter have their own titles. LSH actually escaped mostly intact, although it did lose 7 characters (Gates, Dawnstar, Wildfire, Timer Wolf, Chameleon Girl, Tellus, and Tyroc) to the present day set Legion Lost title.
Kinda makes making a Legion game rather tough when one no longer knows what adventures are assumed to have taken place between the days the Legion formed and now, as adults. I'll stick with the original game vision I had developed. I can tweak, alter and change things later.
I wonder if Ferro Lad was ever part of the Legion? Hope so, I miss him and Phantom Girls bell bottom pants.